Keith Smart Thinks He Deserves to Keep His Job

Smart, a sort of Dead Man Walking in the Bay Area, tells the press that he’s done a good enough job to get a contract extension. From the San Fran Chronicle: “I would say that anywhere else, other than right here, people would look at it and say it was a good season,’ Smart said before Sunday’s game against Sacramento. ‘I’ve done everything I could possibly do, and for some strange reason, people (don’t recognize it). Anywhere else in the country, people would say we are moving in the right direction.’ Co-owner Joe Lacob went out of his way in his opening news conference in November to say that Smart’s contract for next season is not guaranteed. Since then, Lacob has said all employees will be evaluated at season’s end. Smart laid out his personal evaluation. He said he has changed the climate of a previously poisonous locker room, pointing out that the team had fewer fines this season. Also, the team accepted forward Al Thornton’s late-season acquisition without worrying about losing minutes or shots. The Warriors went into Sunday’s game 11 wins ahead of last season’s pace, an improvement that ranked behind only Chicago, San Antonio and New Jersey. Smart said he won more games than could have been expected with the Warriors’ roster, and playoff expectations were unrealistic as the team is currently constructed.”